NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 5:
Chapter 5: Alchemy for Cultivation:
Just beyond the door, Tang Mo drained every last drop of his spiritual energy, meticulously controlling the green pill aura to inscribe spiritual lines onto the embryonic pill.
The number of lines determined the pill’s quality—no lines meant the lowest grade, while seven lines signified the highest tier. This process was akin to forging steel, refining and elevating the pill’s effectiveness.
As his last shred of spiritual energy was exhausted, the furnace suddenly flashed with radiant light—pill formation complete!
A fragrant, rose-red pill floated within the furnace, suspended by his divine sense. Tang Mo’s hands trembled violently, barely steady enough to direct the pill into the Dark Profound Wooden Box.
「Three Yin Meridian-Replenishing Pill. Quality: Fourth-grade, Four-patterned. Effects: Strengthens meridians, nourishes the Golden Core.」
He had done it—even breaking through to the fourth grade!
Tang Mo extinguished the pill fire and returned to the jade stone bed. The woman remained unconscious as he carefully fed her the freshly refined pill.
Using Spirit Eyes, he watched as the deep-red Governing and Penetrating Meridians gradually faded, showing signs of yellowing—a mark of recovery.
His vision blurred from exhaustion, and he collapsed beside the bed, instantly falling into a deep sleep.
When he woke up again, the sky outside had already turned pitch black.
Rubbing his tired eyes, he looked toward the jade stone bed—the woman still hadn’t regained consciousness. However, her complexion had improved, a healthy rosiness replacing her previous pallor.
Through Spirit Eyes, he saw that her most severe injuries—the Governing and Penetrating Meridians—had visibly improved. The dark-red hues had lightened to pale yellow, and the rest of her meridians emitted a faint green glow, a sign of healing. Even her damaged Golden Core was beginning to mend.
No doubt about it—a four-patterned pill’s potency far surpassed that of an unmarked one. The medicinal effects were both swift and gentle.
His golden finger was no joke.
Early Stage Foundation Establishment Early Realm, using a second-grade pill furnace, yet he had produced a fourth-grade, four-patterned pill.
Tang Mo felt a surge of exhilaration. Even the exhaustion from depleting his spiritual energy didn’t seem so unbearable anymore.
He got up, walked past the folding screen, and grabbed the ornate teapot from the table, drinking several mouthfuls of water in one go.
Alchemy was both mentally and physically taxing. He hadn’t had the extra energy to shield himself from the heat while refining, but now that he was awake, the dryness in his throat was unbearable.
Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm could forgo food, and those at the Nascent Soul Realm didn’t even need to drink water.
Just as he was adjusting his circulation, preparing to replenish his energy, Tang Mo suddenly froze.
Something was off.
His cultivation had increased—just slightly, but he was now on the verge of mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm!
Shock filled him.
Half a year ago, the original owner’s dantian had been severely injured, making cultivation twice as difficult. His spiritual energy had been sluggish and inefficient, to the point that he eventually gave up cultivating altogether.
So how had he advanced an entire sub-realm… in his sleep?
Aside from resting, what else had he done?
Alchemy…
A realization hit him like a thunderclap.
Frantically, he sifted through the original owner’s memories, and sure enough, he found a long-overlooked detail.
This wasn’t the first time his cultivation had suddenly improved.
Ten years ago, after refining a fourth-grade Gathering Essence Pill for Ye Li, the original owner had broken through to Foundation Establishment overnight!
Later, when he first refined low-grade Meridian Protection Pills, his cultivation had increased slightly. But because the growth had been negligible, he had attributed it to normal training.
And now, this was his first time refining a Three Yin Meridian-Replenishing Pill.
So that was it!
His Pill Spirit Root didn’t just grant him an innate mastery of alchemy—it also rewarded him with cultivation for refining new pills. It was like gaining experience points from unlocking new achievements!
No wonder in the original novel, after Lin Xuan joined Pure Void Sect, his cultivation skyrocketed, reaching Golden Core Realm in mere months. Even Ye Qingyi, who had seen countless prodigies, had been stunned, declaring him a once-in-a-millennium genius!
Now, it was obvious—the novel had concealed the truth.
The real reason for Lin Xuan’s rapid progress wasn’t his unparalleled talent, but rather the Pill Spirit Root’s hidden effect!
The author had deliberately omitted this, making readers believe that Lin Xuan was a peerless prodigy, while in reality, he had merely stolen the original owner’s golden finger and used alchemy to level up.
Otherwise, his protagonist aura would’ve crumbled.
But now, none of that mattered.
Because Tang Mo was the one with the golden finger.
Suppressing his excitement, he remained composed. Sipping his tea, he carefully analyzed his findings. Refining new pills clearly boosted his cultivation, but each pill was a one-time reward.
As his realm increased, the experience gained from each pill would diminish.
One Three Yin Meridian-Replenishing Pill had almost pushed him into mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm, but if he were at early Golden Core, he would need at least three times that amount for the same effect.
At Nascent Soul Realm, the difference would be even greater—like comparing a teacup to an entire teapot.
Moreover, refining a near-fourth-grade pill had already strained his spiritual energy. Lower-grade pills provided only minor boosts, making them inefficient for leveling up.
The best strategy was clear—heal his dantian, restore his cultivation speed, and use alchemy to complement his training.
Even so, this discovery alone put him at a massive advantage.
Walking back to the jade stone bed, he glanced at the woman and smiled. “Mr. Hao never misled me.”
If he hadn’t rescued her, he wouldn’t have rushed to refine a fourth-grade pill, and he wouldn’t have discovered the Pill Spirit Root’s hidden effect so soon. That delay could’ve led him to waste precious time and choose the wrong cultivation strategy.
“Maybe you’re my lucky star?” he murmured with a chuckle.
With a simple Dust Cleansing Spell, he wiped away the dried blood on her face, revealing her fully restored beauty.
Now free from filth, her delicate features radiated a natural glow. Her porcelain-white skin, faintly flushed, was as smooth as the finest mutton-fat jade.
Yet despite her newfound radiance, she remained trapped in an unseen torment. A soft whimper escaped her lips.
“Mother… Xiyan is scared…”
“No—no, let me out!”
She trembled violently, her hands instinctively reaching for her neck, clutching a red-threaded jade pendant as if grasping for safety.
Sensing her distress, Tang Mo activated Spirit Eyes again.
Sure enough, the purple-green toxin in her Golden Core had intensified, relentlessly stabbing at the gray mist barrier sealing her realm.
Her other injuries were gradually healing, though she would still need prolonged treatment. But Tang Mo had noticed something even stranger.
In Spirit Eyes, her spinal column appeared completely black.
In this world, the spine represented a cultivator’s innate foundation.
Previously, her injuries had masked this, but now that she was healing, Tang Mo saw the truth—her foundation was necrotic.
A cultivator with a dead foundation was practically crippled.
Yet she was alive.
Her face had color, her meridians were healing, and her core was recovering.
“More secrets,” Tang Mo mused, stroking his chin. “Who exactly are you?”
The novel had never mentioned a mysterious woman escaping into Pure Void Mountain at the start of the novel.
Before he could dwell further, the woman suddenly gasped and bolted upright, terror still lingering in her round, tear-filled eyes.
Le Yiwei frantically scanned her surroundings, realizing she had truly escaped.
The relief brought tears to her eyes—but before she could process it, searing pain pulled her back into her waking nightmare.